We just got back & were trying to decide the same thing as you. The ferries seemed a little time consuming but cheaper. We finally went with New Horizons II out of Sapphire Beach STT. It was 150 each I think. They provided breakfast & unlimited drinks all day, shrimp snack on the way home. We stopped outside Peters Bay STJ to view famous homes, then on to Virgin Gorda. They took care of customs in 15 minutes for the whole boat. Off to the Baths & they gave us a guided tour. Then to Marina Cay & lunch Pussers (phoned order in, no wait, you pay for your lunch), then off to Guana Island?? to snorkel for an hour. Lastly, to Jost for an hour . Never felt rushed, great day. They provide snorkel gear too. Most tours are similiar.

Brenda, we'd gone to Virgin Gorda two times via the ferry and LOVED that option!

It was not a rushed excursion at all - although, both times, we only went to The Baths / Devil's Bay (DROP DEAD GORGEOUS).

We originally toyed with the idea of New Horizons or Limnos - which both got great reviews!!! We wanted to do our own thing - and felt it wasn't necessary to see all of the places they were going to for us - we really wanted a less regimented-on-our-own thing... and more time at The Baths.

The ferry is a lovely ride - and once there, going through customs was no big deal - took maybe 15 minutes. After that, since most people off the ferry are going to The Baths, the taxi drivers kind of work together and get a caravan taking everyone over - they tell you when to be back at the designated drop off/pick up place and then you have several hours there - AMPLE TIME! The 2nd time we walked over to Top of The Baths for a look - son had a quick bite and we just got bottles of water (there's also a snack bar down by The Baths) and enjoyed the glorious view.

For us, the ferry was the perfect route - we didn't need a guided tour of The Baths - exploring it and Devil's Bay on our own was more up our alley. We didn't want to visit other places - eat at any touristy bar/burger joint or need unlimited booze or shrimp snacks...

Whichever mode of transportation you opt for - you WILL LOVE IT!

ENJOY!

Lisa

Thanks, Lisa! I love the idea of having time to explore on our own. Your trip sounds fabulous.
Brenda

Thanks for giving me "the skinny" on your trip. Not being rushed is very appealing. I am still trying to decide if I need the third stop -the one beside Jost van Dyke and Virgin Gorda. It really is wonderful having such a dilemma!

Brenda

Yes Brenda - if only all of our dilemmas in life were so.... WONDERFUL!

Several years ago, BC (before child) my husband and I took the ferry from St John to Tortola for the day. We took the earliest morning ferry and returned on the latest one in the evening. We had plenty of time. We hired a cab driver at the ferry dock who stayed with us all day and gave us a tour. We're parrotheads, so we made sure to visit the Buffett sites like Cane Garden Bay - not great for snorkeling, but a good beach, and we ate at a restaurant in Road Town that we were told had the inspirational "Cheeseburgers in Paradise". We didn't go with very high expectations, but the trip was alot of fun. The last few years we've just stayed on St John but are hoping to go back to Tortola in the future as we'd like to go the park they have on the high point of the island.

An amusing thing for us was that the maps available on Tortola (put out by the tourist board) showed a beautiful island scene (Tortola) and a snowy winter scene with the caption "Toledo or Tortola". We live near Toledo so we thought it very funny.

Lori

from STJ earliest in the a.m. and took the last ferry back. We arranged for a rental car from Denzel Clyne on Stj since he has an office on Tortola. They picked us up. It was basically a sight seeing trip with some beach stops. I have some pix at

www.pbase.com/promoguy101

promoguy
Loved your pics. The Gallows look great...